(1) Field of the Invention
The invention pertains generally to hospitality media and entertainment systems. More specifically, the invention relates to providing customized media functions at a plurality of set-top boxes being connected to a radio frequency coax network in a hospitality media system.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Older hotels that were not originally equipped with high-speed computer networks are under increased pressure to install such networks in order to meet guest expectations by providing an advanced digital media experience in the individual rooms. For example, customizable user-interfaces (UIs), pay-per-view content, video-on-demand (VOD) content, and interactive program guides (IPGs) are some examples of advanced features that are expected by guests. However, for hotels that were not originally designed to accommodate a high-speed internet protocol (IP) network, the costs of installing a complete wired IP solution are often prohibitive. Additionally, it may not be possible, or may not be desirable to install a complete wired IP solution due to historical or architectural reasons.
Installing a wireless network with speeds and bandwidth sufficient for transferring large files to multiple users may be an available solution in the future; however, current wireless technology is unable to reliably handle the huge bandwidth requirements of high definition multimedia content desired by guests without using large numbers of access points distributed throughout the hotel property. These access points themselves require wired connections to a content server and must be physically installed in multiple locations to provide strong signal strengths in all guest rooms and other locations where high speed media access is required. Because each guest may utilize the full capacity of a single access point, it may be that each and every room requires its own access point. Additionally, frequency allocation will need to be considered to avoid interference between access points. Therefore, the original problem of substantial installation and equipment costs is again encountered.